Have you ever found yourself scolded into feeling grateful? Urgings from mothers, dads, teachers and other wise ones who preach that gratitude is the key to happiness , and we must express it. But the real magic of gratitude comes not from coercion, but from its honest and natural expression.

At its core, gratitude is alive when it flows freely and naturally not when it’s forced. It’s about finding appreciation in the simplest of things, not because we’re guilt-tripped into it.

Forced gratitude is inauthentic. Others have it worse so stop being an ingrate! Coercing ourselves or being coerced into the state of gratitude doesn’t reflect our genuine feelings and awareness.

I recall my early resistance to my mother insisting that I say “thank you” and express gratitude to my grandparents or other relatives for their gifts. The “thank you” was rote, and didn’t come from my heart . Not that I wasn’t grateful, but the “thank you” was not really mine.

It wasn’t until I consciously began to notice small joys like the sensation of raindrops on my face, the rustle of autumn leaves as I walked to school, the smell of bread baking in the local bakery, or the taste of my mom’s apple pie – precious moments that sparked real gratitude in me. I didn’t have to be scolded into those enriching experiences.

Embracing Gratitude

I appreciate Arianna Huffington’s words, Living in a state of gratitude is the gateway to grace.

Moving beyond the scold to embrace gratitude as personal awareness and discovery of the beauty of everyday moments, and to express gratitude with heartfelt sincerity, makes life truly blessed.

Thank you for reading.

Our theme for November is Gratitude and our monthly workshop takes place on November 28th at 4:00 pm  (ET).  Click here for the ZOOM link.

Make today a great day…because you can!

Lorraine

The post Learning to be Grateful Without Having to be Scolded! first appeared on Lane Business Consulting.